50 and still nifty: The average lifespan of a company today has been put at 13 years. Who would have given much for the chances of those launched in the dark days of 1947?

Article Abstract:

The average lifespan of a company today is around 13 years. Alexander Steinberg ran a tailoring business, and during the 1920s, his sons joined the firm, and the first brand Alexon, was born. It went public after the war, opening its first department store concessions in 1967, and it now has around 200. East Midland Allied Press (EMAP) had already been publishing local newspapers for 63 years, when it was launched in 1947. It started to acquire magazine titles in 1956, and it now comprises almost 200 magazines in the UK. Tesco stores were already familiar in most London suburbs in 1947. Its successful price cutting programme led to sweeping changes involving a move upmarket.

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Future shock - or future success?: the 21st century is less than five years away - and the competitive environment in almost every business is moving at an alarming pace. What will it take to be a successful post-millennium company?

Article Abstract:

A successful post-millennium company may be at the leading edge of technology, or it may be an old style business with new management styles. Oticon of Copenhagen, a hearing aid manufacturer, is seen as a model with its manufacturing staff operating from personal carts containing work tools at each project they work on. Rikki Hunt, managing director of Burmah Petroleum Fuels Ltd is building a thinking organisation for the 21st century, and Unipart has developed Unipart U, a 'university' lecturing on topics suchas productivity and beating the Far Eastern challenge.

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The incredible shrinking company: downsizing, rightsizing, delayering - the American passion for cutting headcount when corporate crisis looms has invaded Britain in the last five years

Article Abstract:

The main victims of downsizing of companies both in the UK and the US have been middle managers, and there are concerns that downsizing may actually weaken a company through the loss of flexibility and experience. Some consider downsizing as a short term measure, whereas innovation comes from the longer term view. A survey of delayered companies in the US found that some companies found costs rose after delayering, and that morale slumped. BT is generally regarded as a pioneer donwsizer, with the ability of offer generous settlements.

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